A Night in Everdeen
by A-Mickey-Eared-Heart
Summary: Buzz Lightyear didn't get a warm welcome when he moved into the small town of Everdeen. However, there was one person-Jessie Pride. He was a goner the moment he saw her.Now,Buzz finally has a chance to win the affections of the zany redhead.
1. Chapter 1

"I'm tellin' ya- I don't like that boy! I don't trust him!" Abigail paced around her daughters room, limbs flailing around her as she lectured the exasperated red head, who obviously didn't quite take what her mother was saying seriously. Jessie rolled her eyes and tucked her feet in, fluffing up the pillows on her bed. "And Why do ya say _that _Mama? He's not from 'round here?"

"Exactly! He 'aint from around here! _He's from the city!" _Abigail whispered the last part, as if the fact was something too dreadful to be spoken out loud. Jessie widened her emerald eyes in mock horror and dropped her jaw. Her hands shot up and clutched her heart. "_Oh no! Not the city! Anythin' but the city! Oh lord help us the Devil done rolled into Everdeen!"_ Jessie shoulders rose as if she was going to let out a wail, but in turn she relaxed and snickered, which resulted in a glare from Abigail.

"Don't you dare be smart mouthin' off to me Jessica Jane!"

"Why are ya bringin' this up anyhow? It's not like I'm with the boy right now! I'm lyin' here in my pajamas 'aint I?" Jessie's mother crossed her arms, looking down at her accusingly. "Audrey Lullvine told me today that she saw you talkin' to that Buzz boy after school today- I don't want you hangin' round him ya here? No daughter of mine is gonna be goin' off with some city boy." With her last statement, Abigail slammed the door, leaving an irritated Jessie lying on her bed.

_Fuckin' Bigmouth Lullvine. _

That's the nickname Jessie had given her mother's gossip buddy when she was about 8. She had earned a hiding from Mama because she saw her 'vandalizing' the bridge out by the lake with the Radley boys. And here she was again, running her neon pink lined mouth again; throwing Jessie under the ever- going bus.

_Fuckin' Bigmouth Lullvine._

Jessie sighed and got up heading over to her vanity. Whatever. What the hell did she care? She never paid much mind to her Mama's narrow minded southern demands anyway. Why should she start now? Besides- she had a date to get ready for.

Meanwhile, Buzz Lightyear heads down the road in his beat up looking Chevy truck, his palms sweating onto the steering wheel. His azure eyes alternated from the country road to his mirror, making sure he looked presentable, making sure his peanut butter blonde hair didn't look like a complete rats nest. Buzz was usually calm, confident, collected. But ever since he came into the little town Everdeen, things changed.

His father had to move out here for his job, he was an Astronomer for the government. The country was ideal for looking up and studying the sky without the bright lights hiding so much of it from the naked eye. When they got here, and he finally got the reason why his father had dragged him away from, pretty much everything he knew; Buzz was breathless. He shared his father's love for the night sky, captivated by its mysteries and its beauty. Looking up at the sky on their first night, Buzz's optimistic personality rang within him at full power, hope and opportunity filling his dreams.

Then he had his first day at Everdeen High.

It was the last quarter of the year, right before summer. Buzz entered the school with his head up high, smiling at everyone he saw, giving a curt, respectful nod. He didn't notice the strange stares he got, the snickering and crude comments. He was oblivious to the fact that everyone in Everdeen High knew he was before he stepped in those doors. He was Buzz Lightyear. The Astronomers Son. The rich newcomer from the city. An Outsider. And he wasn't welcome.

Buzz walked into the cafeteria that day, looking for a place to sit, eyes scanning the tables. Soon, his eyes caught a table of a few muscular boys, most in plaid or camo, some with their arm draped around a bleach blonde girl, all smiles and laughing. Buzz took a deep breath, and proceeded over to the table, food in hand, a soft, confident smile on his face.

"Hello- how's everyone doing today? The name is Buzz- Buzz Lightyear." He beamed down at the group, waiting for a friendly introduction. Instead he got judgmental glares, staring up at him in silence. After a few awkward seconds of silence, the group burst out laughing. A muscular dirty blonde boy stood up and looked at Buzz, smirking.

"Yea. That's right- the rich boy from the city." He looked him up and down and advanced closer to him. "We don't take to kindly to strangers 'round here. Especially ones who come in thinkin' they're better than us cuz they're smarter- walkin' round like they own the place." Buzz's eyebrows shot up and he offered an apologetic smile, never losing the friendly tone to his voice. "Uhm- I think you're taking this all the wrong way. I'm not trying to offend anybody, I just was hoping to make small talk; converse a bit." The blonde gave Buzz a small yet forceful shove, sending Buzz's food flying. "Listen ya little bitch-"

"Emmett take it easy-"

"You just shut the fuck up Amber!"

Emmett turned over to the bleach blonde girl who'd been hanging at his arm, his unjust rage being thrown towards her for a moment before he turned back to Buzz, getting just inches away from his face. "I don't want ya 'round here, okay rich boy? You're not welcome here!"

Buzz looked at Emmet, analyzing the situation. He could slug him in the jaw right now; shut him up, maybe even for good. It may result in some respect among his peers. The negatives however, could get him in serious trouble. Getting suspended on the first day- that would not look good on his transcripts. Even if he was valedictorian. It wouldn't make a good impression on his teachers either. Also, for all he knew, it could back fire- and instead of getting respect, he could get a black eye and a busted nose. Plus, it just didn't seem like the reasonable, mature thing to do. The only positive was _maybe _getting the respect and fear of a group simple minded rednecks. The answer was clear to him; the best choice was to walk away.

First though, he picked up his tray and its spilled contents, and dumped it in the trashcan, leaving the tray on top of it as the rules stated. He straightened up and adjusted his green shirt. "Well," He put his hands behind his back and looked Emmett in the eye. "I _could_ end this with two simple hits, me hitting you, and you hitting the floor. However, I refuse to fight over something as insignificant as this. So gentleman, I say goodbye." And with that he walked off, the group of boys laughing after him. He looked straight forward with his chin held high- refusing to let anyone see his distress. He could already tell that his time in Everdeen was going to be painful and merciless. Now, how was he going to survive the next few-?

_"Hey Space Boy!"_

Buzz cringed as he heard the feminine yet coy voice call after him. He turned around ready to face his new attacker, his lips in a straight line, eyes narrowed. When his eyes had met the owner of the voice, Buzz's azure eyes widened by what seemed to be tenfold. The muscles that had been tensed up in defense relaxed and he stared at her with his mouth slightly ajar. In a matter of seconds, everything changed.

That was the first time Buzz Lightyear saw Jessie Pride.

He stood speechless for a moment, unable to tear his eyes from the girl sitting alone at the table. She had one of her legs on the bench she sat at, sporting an old beat up rusty colored cowboy boot, an intricate design in gold thread on it. She wore a skinny pair of faded blue jeans, holes and strings on the leg. She was wearing a sunflower yellow tank top, showing of her the slightly sun kissed tone of her skin. What had Buzz truly captivated was her face. A few freckles adorned the apples of her cheeks, but you wouldn't notice unless you really looked. She had an adorable button nose, perfectly aligned on her face. Her lips were full and curved into a soft smirk. Framing her face was a wavy cascade of red velvet locks; he'd never seen hair like that before.

But what really got him was her eyes. Buzz swore up and down he'd never seen and star in the sky sparkle or shine as much as those big, round eyes did. They were like emeralds, a deep, deep green. And they were so…animated. He could see the mischief in them, the excitement, and the strength. But, there was a hint of gentleness in them. A kindness. There was something else- but Buzz couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was more than willing at the moment to stand there and try to figure it out. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

"Are ya just gonna stand there? C'mon, bring them pretty blue eyes over here." Jessie laughed lightly, giving him a playful wink as she beamed. He felt his face get hot from the blood rushing to it, and for one of the first times in his life, he walked over to the table, feeling nervous to meet this captivating stranger. He took a seat at the table, glancing up at Jessie for a moment, seeing her flash a grin in his direction. He returned the grin with a crooked shy smile.

"I- uh- thank you for here sitting to invite me- uh! I-I mean- I-inviting me to sit here! Thank you for inviting me to sit here." Buzz bit his lip and gave a single thankful nod. _ ….What the blazes was that? _Buzz internally groaned in embarrassment for sounding so stupid. He looked up at Jessie, who chuckled. "I'm glad, as you can see, I'm a very popular person, it was hard to squeeze you in." Jessie motioned to the empty seats beside them; she looked at Buzz and raised an eyebrow before she broke out into laughter. Eventually, her laughter died down, and with one last giggle she raised an eyebrow at Buzz. "So-ya gotta name space boy?"

"B-Buzz. Buzz Lightyear"

"Well Buzz Lightyear- the names Jessie Jane, it's a pleasure to meet ya."

From that moment, there was no turning back. He was a goner. The rest of the term was spent with small talk, classes, teachers, little stuff. Sometimes they'd talk about Buzz's love for the stars, and those would be the few moments when his newfound shyness would disappear, and he talked about the sky with enthusiasm, and wonder. Jessie would talk about Pride Ranch, and her jobs there. They never talked about anything deeper than that though. Jessie made sure of it. If they got into a subject that seemed too personal, Buzz could almost see alarm flash through them; and she'd become 'distracted' by something, changing the topic. It became clear to Buzz that Jessie didn't like to get people too close.

This made him even more curious. The more he talked to Jessie, the more he began to adore her. He found himself always thinking about her, even when he was in his astronomy class. He couldn't get that quirky redhead out of his mind. He wanted to know more about her. Who was she really? Her fears, her wants, her hopes and dreams? Why was she so coy to everyone except him it seemed? In fact, why is it that he's the only friend she has at that school? What made Jessie Pine tick?

He asked himself these questions more and more, while he secretly remained captivated by her, completely awed. Finally, the night before the last day of school- right before summer break, he came to a decision. _Tomorrow, I'm going to ask Jessie Pine out._ And that was that.

It was a minimum day at Everdeen High, and the moment Buzz walked out the doors his eyes scanned the crowded steps, looking for Jessie. His eyes quickly found her bright red hair among the crowd.

"Hey- Jessie!" _Oh God what have I done- M-maybe I can just...just turn around and she won't notice. Or maybe she won't hear me- yea! _But it was too late- by the time Buzz was about to make a run for it, Jessie had turned around and spotted Buzz. She raised an eyebrow and smirked curiously. Usually they only talked during lunch- so this was odd. But still, Jessie went back to one of the pedestals where Buzz stood and grinned.

"Well hey Lightyear- happy summer!"

"Y-yea...Happy summer…heh." Buzz rubbed his neck nervously, preparing himself for what was to happen.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about?"Oh god, here it was. Now or never. Buzz almost said no and ran off, but he knew that if he didn't do it now, he never would. And he'd regret that decision for the rest of his life. "A-actually...there is something…Jessie…would you-er-wanna go out on a d-date with me tonight?" He looked down at his feet, getting ready for the refusal, in which there was a long pause.

"…sure."

"What?" Buzz's head snapped up, to see Jessie smiling softly at him, her face lighting up like Haley's comet. "I'd love to go on a date with ya Buzz." Her eyes looked a bit…frightened. No- that couldn't be it. Through the term he spent with Jessie he knew she was fearless. She wasn't scared of anyone or anything. But...he had also mastered reading her emotions through her eyes…it was the only way to know how she really felt. Then suddenly, through his mental rambling it hit Buzz. She had said yes. "I-R-really?-I-w-wow. Okay…so when should I pick you up?"

And the rest was history. She told him that her mother didn't want her talking to him, and that she'd be sneaking out of the house. "Drive by at 9:30, I'll be out before ya know it, keep the engine runnin', _And don't make too much noise!"_

The whole thing was making Buzz...nervous. He'd never really broken the rules before. He had a strict belief that they were made for a reason- and needed to be respected. But for this date, he was willing to make an exception. Which came to the main reason his stomach was tied in knots-

He was going on a date with Jessie Pride. He'd dreamt about this since the day he laid eyes on her, and it was finally happening. This was his one chance to earn her affections, and maybe dig a bit deeper and find out the answers to all those questions. Soon, he found himself coming up to the Pride Ranch.

_Don't you dare blow this Lightyear._


	2. Chapter 2

Jessie sat in front of the mirror, applying on the deep red lip gloss with a steady hand. Usually, she didn't wear this much makeup, in fact, usually the only form of makeup she put on in the morning was chapstick. But now as she looked in the mirror, her face was more painted up than it had been in a long time. She had black eyeliner outlining her eyes, making them look even bigger. On the lids, a brown shadow with golden flecks had been smoothed on, and Mascara had been applied, making her lashes curl up almost to her eyebrows, framing her emerald iris's.

Her eyes scanned her face in the mirror, hoping she hadn't over done it. _Why am I gettin' so dolled up anyhow?_ _It's just Buzz, just space boy._ As if the universe wanted to offer her an answer, she heard the soft roar of his chevy rolling up to her house. Suddenly, it was like butterflies were having a NASCAR race in her stomach. Her eyes darted to the door, making sure Abigail didn't burst into the room, prepared to fight her daughter tooth and nail to prevent her going out with the city boy.

When there knob didn't turn, Jessie grabbed her old signature pair of boots, sliding her feet quickly into them. She started for the window, but halted taking a quick look at herself; Tight, black jeans, a blue tank top with a black leather vest over it, the neckline of the vest scooping below her breasts, buttoning up and stopping about an inch below where her bellybutton lay beneath the tank top. She scrunched her wavy red hair one last time before she quickly headed over to her window.

She opened it, letting the cool night air hit her for a second before she lifted her left leg out the window, securing it onto a tree branch. She was about to ease the rest of her body out when she seemed to remember something; reaching out onto the nearby drawer, she picked up a black ten-gallon hat. She wouldn't be wearing it now, but she knew she'd regret it if she didn't have it for later on tonight. Then she eased the rest of her body out the window, and onto the tree.

Buzz sat in his truck, the engine purring outside of the ranch. He watched as Jessie climbed down the tree, maneuvering carefully. His blue eyes studied her face, watching how it twisted up in concentration, a soft smile on her face. Those eyes he loved shining with confidence. There was one time where her footing slipped, and she hung from the branch for a moment. Buzz was about to run out of the car and go to her aid, when she quickly found her balance again, smirking to herself and laughing. He let out an involuntary sigh, admiring the red head as she obliviously made her way down the tree, completely unaware of Buzz admiring her from afar.

"whoo..close one… " Jessie laughed as she landed on the grass, smiling to herself. She started towards the chevy, an excited bounce to her step.

She couldn't deny she developed…some _feelings _for the shy teenage boy, who wouldn't? For one, he was gorgeous. He was naturally muscular, he didn't have to try that hard like all the other guys around Everdeen; he just had that muscular build. His hair was adorable, short, the color of peanut butter, messy- yet neat. And those eyes- dear lord. A lot of boys Jessie knew had blue eyes- but not..not this shade of blue. It was some..weird light color Jessie had never seen before. They were gorgeous.

Also- he was just adorable. He had trouble forming sentences it seemed, stuttering, mixing up words. Jessie absolutely adored it. And even when he wasn't stuttering, he had this..presence about him. He was sweet, kind, unsure. He was..perfect. He didn't seem to have a single mean bone in his body. Not one. He was smart, charming, why did everyone hate him? There was absolutely..no reason to. At all.

_Cuz he 'aint from around here..._ Jessie growled under her breath, her pace becoming a bit faster as she headed towards the truck. _Stupid. The whole damn thing is stupid. So we're supposed to hate everybody that isn't born and raised in this fucking hell hole? Everybody in this goddamn place is ignorant. You'd think we were livin' back in the 50's when everybody was done segregated. Just cuz he's diff-_

_Wait._

_..Why is it lighter out here?_

Jessie looked back at her house and saw the top left window, the window of her mothers room, had been lit up. Abigail was awake. Jessie didn't take the time to look back to see if she'd try to go check in on her, or if the door of the house would burst open with the middle aged red head chasing after her. She just took off in a sprint towards Buzz's truck, not daring to look back.

Jessie almost slammed into the chevy, her body heaving against it as she frantically squeezed the handle and jumped in, slamming the door behind her. Buzz looked out frantically- his breaths beginning to become rapid and shallow. _This _ is why he never broke the rules! His eyes frantically scanning around the premises as he spoke, his voice on the edge of panic."J-Jessie-M-maybe we should just f-"

"_Drive!"_

Jessie yelled at him from her seat, looking at him with wild shifting eyes. She looked back over her shoulder at the glowing golden square in the distance. Buzz stared at her, his mouth slightly ajar. "I-I-_What?"_

"Jesus fucking Christ- _DRIVE!"_ Without warning, She stretched out her leg and slammed her foot on the accelerator pad. The subtle purr of the engine rose into a roar. The truck lunged forward, swerving around the once quiet dirt road, leaving a cloud of Dust peacefully swirling around behind it; contradicting the chaos that the 1945 chevy pick up ripping through the night.

"_Yeeehaw!" _Jessie yelled out with a laugh. The wind coming from the open window rushed through her hair, whipping it wildly around her face. She was riding the wave of adrenaline that coursed through her as they tore through the country roads at the suicidal speed she had forced the truck to.

Buzz wasn't enjoying the ride quite as much.

His eyes had grown to the size of Jessie's own eyes (which was fairly large), all the color flushed from his face. "_Mother- for the love of Hayley's Comet!" _He reached for the steering wheel frantically, gripping it until his knuckles went white. He had gently yet quickly kicked Jessie's foot off the gas and pressed on the break, trying to get the truck back under control.

Finally, it swerved to the edge of the road and the two jolted forward as the car came to a sudden halt. He lifted his shakey hands off the steering wheel. Breathing hard, he looked over to Jessie, his voice containing a hint of anger- but most of it was shock and fear. "Jesus Jessie…Are you out of your God damn mind?"

Jessie chuckled a bit and winked at Buzz. "Relax space boy- I was just tryin' to get away from the house before Mama could see your truck, which is a fuckin' beautiful truck by the way." Jessie looked around her and rubbed the seat and grinned up at Buzz, only to find him staring at her, showing he was less than amused. She let out a sigh and looked at Buzz

"Alright, alright, I shouldn't have gone so fast…I'm sorry…" Jessie tilted her head and stuck out her bottom lip in a playful pout, "C'mon Buzzie boy- won't ya forgive a poor sinner? I know not what I do!" Buzz looked at the redhead, and the way she smiled up at him, the way she fooled around with him and how cute her accent sounded- the little anger Buzz held melted away, and he smiled softly.

"Y-yea..it's fine. Just-Let's not do that again okay?" he smiled sheepishly at Jessie, who perked up and laughed a bit. Buzz grinned as he turned the key in the ignition once again, his heart fluttering in his chest as Jessie nodded enthusiastically, "You got yourself a deal space boy!" And the car roared back to life, and continued down the road at a decent speed.

"So uh- I don't know the area that well so, you'll be our- _guide_ you can say for the night- show me around?" He glanced over at Jessie, a slight blush heating up in his cheeks. Jessie grinned and nodded. "I'm glad ya said that- I already had a plan for us."

"Oh really?" Buzz chuckled and prepared to turn into Main Street when Jessie's voice interrupted him. "Hey- whaddya think you're doin'? Not here!" Buzz quickly put on his breaks and looked over at Jessie curiously, raising a brow.

"Not here? …But this is Main Street…" Jessie smirked over at him. "Who said we were gonna do anything in town? All ya got there is borin' old Diner food. C'mon. We're goin' a bit farther down for Dinner."

Obeying her command, Buzz backed out of the previous path he was headed, and continued down the dirt road. As he drove he took another glance at Jessie, and he could help but smile out of excitement and of nervousness. Just by looking at her he knew that the night was going to be _very _different from what he had prepared for.


End file.
